Constant Lover EP

Paper Bag; 2005

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O Canada, how do you produce so many great bands? Maybe it's the cleaner air, the relatively liberal culture, the cold, the hockey, or the feeling that you're really better than your southern neighbor who gets all the attention-- sort of a younger sibling overachiever syndrome. Whatever it is, both Toronto and its thriving, consistent indie rock scene and Montreal's bundles of post-rock par excellence and really corking pop have produced a number of worthwhile bands in recent years.

Magneta Lane can be filed under "corking pop", albeit with a bit o' punk-- mostly manifested in their incredible efficiency and high tempos-- thrown in for good measure. Guitar, bass, drums, vox and the occasional tambourine are all they bother with and all they need, and the three women who form this trio give you only the necessary material to drive the songs home. Guitarist/vocalist Lexi Valentine sings in a high alto range with a velvety, sassy tone-- and while the melodies are strong, it's the way the band pushes them through clever rhythmic shifts and dynamic alterations that raise them to a whole different level.

The opening title track is their blueprint, laying out both their approach to tension and release and their sense of kinetic motion-- although that dry description doesn't half describe what a ridiculously great song it is. Valentine is up front (Uncut's Jon Drew gives them a punchy, clean sound with just enough grit to keep them honest) cooing over a jumpy, fractious beat, but as the verse progresses, bassist French and drummer Nadia King slide into an urgent rhythm. From there the song is pure exuberant pop fizz grounded by the emotionally confused subject matter of the lyrics: "She could never find real love/ She was a constant lover" goes the setup, ringing guitar arpeggios mingling with the vocals to coalesce into a gooey mega-hook.

"Ugly Socialite" and "Kissing Is Easy" are even more tightly coiled, moving along like a coiled spring, stretching out through effervescent choruses and winding back up in the choppy verses. The only song that sacrifices this economy is "Mare of the Night", which gets louder and more distorted than necessary, sacrificing streamlined flow for noisy guitar excursions and featuring verses that aren't as neatly formed as the ones around it. All told, though, Constant Lover is an impressive, memorable debut by a band with a great instinct for developing songs for maximum impact.